Whose Ordeal is it Really?
by Magelet1
Summary: Thom's Ordeal from Alanna's point of view


Whose Ordeal is it Really?  
By: Magelet  
a.n. in this, Kally became a knight  
  
  
Lady Alanna, the strong and fearsome warrior and King's Champion of Tortall felt like a small, meek, newborn kitten.   
She shook fiercely, terrified at what was about to happen. Without thinking, she grabbed George's hand tightly.  
  
"So, my Lioness," her husband, the once King of Thieves, now the respectable (more-or-less) Baron of Pirate's Swoop,   
put a muscular arm around her trembling shoulders and pulled him tight into him. "are you regretting something? Your Ordeal   
went fine, after you slept some before the thing!" he joked. Only a few people knew that he had given her drugged brandy in   
order for that to occur.  
  
"I feel so helpless, George." She whispered, choking back tears. "What if something goes wrong? I feel like this is   
my Ordeal than Thom's. He's still my baby - you know that. I don't see how Jon and Thayet did this twice!" she watched among   
the crowd in the Temple of Ordeal as her oldest son, hazel eyes determined, was ushered into the magical Chamber of Ordeal,   
to try to obtain knighthood. 'I remember the day he was born.' She thought.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Her first baby, her just born son didn't cry like normal babies at birth. He coughed a bit, looked around, his eyes   
settling on his twenty-two year old mother, reached for her with both hands out of Maude's arms, and laughed! Alanna sighed,   
tired, gazing at the laughing boy. She wanted to hold him right away, but Maude took him into a corner containing a wash   
basin on a table filled with warm water, and proceeded to gently bathe the child.  
  
Thayet, who had held Alanna's hand while she gave birth, released her hold. She, Rispah - Alanna's cousin in law -   
and Alanna's adoptive mother/mother-in-law helped the new mother into a clean dress. It was the dress that Jon had given her   
for her twentieth birthday, and it was lovely, and elaborate, yet simple. The dress was a light violet with small lionesses   
embroidered all over it in gold thread. Her ember-stone gleamed around her neck, strengthening her. The three women joked   
with her about the 'army encampment' in the hall one room away from George and Alanna's room, where they currently were.   
Being as strong as she was, Alanna was recovering quickly from child-birth, aided also by the facts that she had her ember-  
stone, she was in prime health, and a healer herself.  
  
They sat her in a chair by a table in the attached room, handing her her giggling baby boy who was now wrapped in a   
soft blanket the same golden color as the lionesses on the Lioness' dress. The golden blanket set off a tiny patch of flaming   
red fuzz that topped his head. His large hazel eyes, that had quickly become so, danced just like his father's as he stared   
up at his mother who was smiling at him, trying not to cry for happiness.  
  
"Could you just let George in first?" she whispered to the women who watched her, not taking her eyes from her son.  
  
George came in and gave her a kiss that showed just how happy he was. They had only had a short time together, Alanna   
eventually handing their son over to the baby's father, before a servant knocked at the door gently calling "Baron? Baroness?"  
He bore a short written message that the pair read while their manservant examined his new young master. The note was short   
and to the point.  
  
'Alanna and George, if you don't let us in soon, we'll break down the door.'  
  
Handing the baby back to his wife and laughing, George obliged and suddenly she was surrounded by all her male friends   
and Buri, who had chosen to wait with them.  
  
Around her swarmed Coram, Gary, Raoul, Jon, Miles, a lot of old and new friends, including some of the more tender-  
hearted thieves she knew who wanted to see their friend's new baby. Alanna smiled at them all.  
  
"His name's Thom." She said quietly, as the un-asked question radiated in the air around them. Once more the men   
started to move about...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alanna snapped back to the harsh reality; her baby was now in the midst of his Ordeal. Once again, as her ears   
pounded, she remembered.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jon had not let her back at his side as Champion until Thom began to walk. Even then she was torn, wanting the   
excitement of her job, yet also wanting to be home with George and Thom. She longed for a good adventure; Jon had forbidden   
her to work once he had found out that she was pregnant, and if she didn't do something soon, she'd scream. So, she did what   
she thought was sensible, bringing her son and George to Court with her. They could stay at the castle. She could remember   
her baby playing with Roald and Kalasin with Thayet in the royal nursery. He always smiled when she came in - they all did-   
and, laughing, he ran to give her a hug. She could feel his heart beating against her own...   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
No, she realized, it was George's laughing and heart she felt and heard now, as he hugged her crying form to himself.  
  
"Is my fearless Lioness crying?" he whispered "He'll be fine my love, he always is."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Orders came fast, and she left faster at the beginning of the Immortals War. She spotted her son, now six, the prince,   
and princess with Daine on the sea shore as she galloped near with Darkmoon in full mail. She stopped to say farewell to Thom,   
whom she loved so dearly and her 'children' the prince and princess, making Daine promise to take care of her family. A dark   
premonition vexed her. He would be safe though. The twins and George too. She shook off her feeling of dread and took off,   
company behind her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Daine, Kalasin, Thayet, Numair, and Jon drew near, in the nerve-trying present. Kally looked nervous, as the Lioness,   
who chewed her nails as she observed, remembering talking to Thayet when Thom was sixteen.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She and Thayet were relaxing on an evening on a ride through the Royal Forest, talking comfortably. The queen drew   
her mount - a gift from Jon - to a halt and Alanna followed in suit.   
  
"You'll never guess what Kally told me this morning." The beautiful queen proclaimed, eyes gleaming.  
  
"That she wants to come to Pirate's Swoop and learn how to be a thief from my dear husband?" Thayet grinned and shook   
her head. "That she's sick of Thom's pranks, hates my baby, and wishes he'd grow up?"  
  
The lady laughed, "Quite the contrary of the last guess, really!" she giggled "She said that Thom kissed her last   
night in the gardens by the roses. She also said that she likes him a lot and that he told her he loved her more than life   
itself." She laughed so hard that she nearly dell out of her saddle. Alanna's face twisted into a frown and showed hints of   
fury.  
  
"No! Tell me where he is now! I need to talk to him!" she cried, remembering her seventh birthday.  
  
"It was just a little kiss!" Thayet called as Alanna galloped back towards the palace. Upon finding him in the   
library, she gave him an impressive lecture on 'young love' and made him promise to be careful and not do anything that her   
would regret.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
This was more torture than her own Ordeal had been! She bit her lip. Silently the heavy stone doors swung open and   
she and Kally ran up to the dizzy, pale redhead who stumbled from the Chamber. He gave Kally a kiss on the cheek, and leaned   
on his mother as the princess blushed slightly. They moved toward the door of the Temple.  
  
"I made it Ma. Somehow, I'm thinkin' it was harder on you though, the way you look!" he grinned, color returning to   
his impish face. "I live to make your life hard Ma."  
  
'He has no idea!' she thought. 'Two Ordeals are too much for one person. What am I going to do about the twins'   
Ordeals?!' she thought as they left the Temple quietly to clean Thom up for his ceremony and receiving his shield.  



End file.
